With the Warriors losing 97-102, the Timberwolves won the ball

On May 11, 2025, in the G3 of the NBA Playoff Western Conference Semi-Finals, the Warriors lost to the Timberwolves 97-102 away. The Warriors ranked sixth in the Western Conference this season. After defeating the Clippers in the first round of the playoffs, they fought against the Timberwolves in the semi-finals and are currently behind 1-2. The Warriors' defeat gave the Timberwolves the upper hand in the series, adding bargaining chips to their advancement to the Western Conference Finals. The Western Conference playoffs have entered a white-hot stage, and four teams, Thunder, Nuggets, Timberwolves and Warriors, are fighting fiercely to advance to the Western Conference Finals.

In this game, the Warriors continued to lack the star Curry, which had a great impact on the team's offensive firepower. As for the Timberwolves, although Edwards was troubled by injuries, he still started and the team's lineup was relatively complete. The Warriors had to rely on the outstanding performance of Butler and Cuminga to make up for the scoring vacuum brought by Curry's absence, while the Timberwolves gained the upper hand with the team's balanced firepower and inside advantage. This kind of injury difference has undoubtedly become one of the key factors affecting the direction of the game! At the beginning of the game, the Timberwolves showed their momentum of fighting at home, and started the 8-2 offensive and quickly established a leading advantage. Edwards and Randle's shooting from the outside put great pressure on the Warriors' defense, and Gobert's dominance in the inside made the Warriors unable to score easily. As the score was about to be pulled apart, the Warriors burst out with amazing fighting spirit in the last two minutes of the first quarter! They scored a 9-0 climax and tied the score to 21-21. This counterattack not only stabilized the situation, but also psychologically gave the Timberwolves a blow. In the

quarter, the Timberwolves obviously learned their lesson, and Reed and Randall made consecutive three-pointers to widen the gap to double digits. Seeing that the Timberwolves were about to establish a comfortable lead, the Warriors once again showed the resilience of the champion team! They launched a 13-1 offensive in the second half of this quarter, not only smoothing out the score difference, but also completing the overtake! Butler and Kumingga performed well at this stage, and the two scored in turn, leaving the Timberwolves struggling to run. At the end of the half, the Warriors led by 2 points with a slight advantage, which was undoubtedly a great encouragement for those who were away and lacked Curry! The Warriors' performance in the first half fully demonstrated their tactical qualities and on-the-spot adaptability. Faced with the Timberwolves' inside advantage, they chose to speed up the pace and make up for the inside's disadvantage through fast ball transfers and outside projections. In particular, Hilder's outside threat forced the Timberwolves to expand their defense's focus outward, which created more room for Butler and Kumingga's breakthroughs.

When we returned from the second half, the game was in a stalemate. The two teams led the scores alternately, and the situation on the field was full of twists and turns. Hilder regained his touch at this stage and made three consecutive three-pointers, providing valuable firepower support to the Warriors. On the Timberwolves, Edwards' personal abilities are also outstanding. His mid-range jump shot and breakthrough layup made the Warriors' defense exhausted.

However, the turning point of the game came after Greene received his fourth personal foul too early. As the core of the Warriors' defensive system, Green's restriction makes the Timberwolves' inside offense easier. Randall and Gobert began to score frequently in the inside, and the Timberwolves' rebounding advantage became more and more obvious. Despite this, the Warriors still tenaciously kept the game suspense to the final stage. In the last quarter of the game, the two teams were still difficult to solve and the score was always tight. At the critical moment, Green's six fouls left the field and became the last straw that broke the Warriors' back! The Warriors, who lost their defensive core, completely lost the inside, and the Timberwolves scored continuously and quickly established an advantage. Although Butler tried his best to save the situation, it was difficult to fight against the offensive firepower of the Timberwolves with one man. In the end, the Timberwolves won the game 102-97 and led 2-1 in the series.

This game fully demonstrates the intensity of the playoffs and the importance of tactical competition. The Timberwolves finally won with their inside advantage and the team's balanced firepower, while the Warriors paid the price for the absence and foul issues of key players. It is particularly worth mentioning that the Timberwolves' psychological quality at critical moments has been significantly improved, which is closely related to their accumulation of playoff experience in the past few years. In contrast, although the Warriors have rich playoff experience, they seem a little short of key player rotation and tactical execution without Curry.

Analysis of the competitive landscape of the Western Conference Playoffs

The Warriors are currently behind 1-2 in the series, and the situation is not optimistic. Curry's injury situation became a key factor in determining the direction of the series. If he can return in time, the Warriors still have hope of turning the tables; otherwise, they will face the risk of being eliminated. To be honest, seeing the Warriors' situation like this is really both distressed and helpless as a fan!

The competitive landscape of the Western Conference playoffs has begun to show signs. The Thunder showed the championship with the explosive power of young players and excellent team cooperation; the Nuggets are still a favorite to win the championship with Jokic's overall dominance; the Timberwolves proved their strength through this victory, and their inside advantage and balanced firepower make them a dark horse that cannot be ignored; and although the Warriors are in a difficult situation, as long as Curry can return, they still have the ability to perform a good reversal.

The intensity of the Western Conference playoffs is far beyond expectations. The four teams have their own characteristics. Whoever can finally break through the siege and advance to the finals needs to be seen in the next game. But one thing is certain, this will be a wonderful basketball feast!